Crunch Time (Warriors 120, Sixers 117)

The Golden State Warriors exited the state of Florida with back-to-back tough losses and some injury concerns – Klay Thompson injured his right knee by banging it against the floor in the Orlando matchup, and Kevon Looney joined him on the training table with the vague “right pelvic soreness” designation. Their opponent on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers, were themselves without Joel Embiid, who has missed the last five games with left knee soreness. While bereft of some key characters, the primetime contest on ABC still had plenty of star power, with four-fifths of the Warriors’ Megadeath lineup squaring off against the retooled Sixers and Ben Simmons. In contrast to their no-show on national TV a week ago, the Warriors came ready to do battle, overcoming a double-digit halftime deficit en route to an immensely satisfying 120-117 win that was earned by solid play in crunch time.

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